Clutch-operated steering gear for vehicles



Ma 22, l956 G. R. G. GATEs CLUTcH0PERATED STEERNG GAR FoR vBHcLES 2 SheetS Sheet 1 5ble on splines 32 and is adapted to be engaged eithef With a dog clutch conaf 33 on the geaf Whee1 25, of With a dog clutch oonaf 34 on the geaf vheel 29.

. The nain shaft 28, having the geaf wheelS27 and 30 fa t Upon it, exfendS tfanSvefSely of the vehicle and iS attach-ed at its ends to a paif of Inain c1Utches 35 and 35, theso beiog of the ty e in vvhich the clutch elefnefits 35o, 355 of 35o, 355 afe noffflally held 5finly in engageInent by SpfingS 35C of 35c, feleaSing fffoa11s (flot Shov7n) being pfovided to enable theolotch to be disengaged by feducing the s )fing fofce of fenloving it-eI1tifely ffon-tho c1otch elen1entS. The dfiyen elen1entS 355, 355 of the nain clfltches 35, 35 afe cohnected to a p if of nlain pinionS 37 and 38, theSe funning in constant nleSh With5na1 dfive geafs 30, 40 of folatively lafge diafnetef fhounted I1poI output ShaftS 41 and 42 fespective1yv The output ShaffS 41, 42 caffy the coaxial paif of foad wheolS, a paif of l tfack spfockefs 43, 44 being-Shovvn by v 7ay of eXan1ple.

Also meShing With the final dfive geafs 3, 40 afe a paif of pinions 45, 45, vvhich afe hefein te1Ined steefing inionS, and Which afe Sn1ane in diaInetef than the fflain pinionS 37, 33. T11ey afe ITUnted npon t11e otef endS of a Steefing Shaft vvhich iS coInpoSed of tWo aligned sec tionS 47 and 48, these having at theif innef endS a. 1Jaif of beve1 geaf vheels 4 0, 50 fofIniog the fifSf and Second elenlents fespectively of a-diffefentia1 unit indicatedgen-- efa1ly at 51. The thifd elefnent of this 11nitiS-con tifuted nd iS fotatable abont the aXiS of the steefil1g Shaft 47, 43.

A steefing clutch 54 conveniontly of the ffictio11diSo fy e haS its dfiving and dfiven elements 54, 54Z) nofmany held out of engagefnent by spfings 54C. The dfiving e1on1ent 54o is attached t() a Sleeve 55 ffeely fotatablo Upon the steefing shaff Section 48 and iS connecfed to a geaf vvheel 55 funning in conStant n1eSh With the geaf whee1 29, so

that the dfiving element 54 is at all 5meS dfiven by tho main Shaft 28, When the steefing clutch 54 is ongaged thiS dfive iS of coufSe also iInpaffed to.the thifd eIenlent of casing 52 of the diffefentia1 Unit 51. Stood that Suitable beafings afe pfovided to Snppoft the input Shaft 10, the coUntefShaft 15, the dfive Shaft, the

and the oLlt ut ShaftS 41, 42, bntth t.these are 11ot shown in fhe dfavvings. A1So the opefatiflg IneanS fof tho-nlain clufcheS 35 and 35, and fof the Steefing clfltch 54 afe ofnittedv /ny S11itable fneans can be USed, t11eSe being connected fo the Steofing vvheo1 of othef Iflan lany opefated steefing membef of men1befs of the vehicle and being affanged So that vZhen tl1fning to thefighf, the fig11fhand fnain clutch 35 is diSengaged and the steefing clutch 54 ie engaged; Sifnilafly fof a left-hand tufn, the lefthand fnain c1Utch 35 is feleaSed and the steefing clutch 54 50, 51, the damping pfeSSu e beig obtained ffon1 coiled conlpfesSion spfings 35f, 35j vvhich afe intefposed betvveen the levefs 50, 51 and nxed abutn1ontS 54. ThuS eitho of the main clutcheS 35, 35 can be feleaSed by puning the coffesponding cable 52 of 53. The noffna11y diSengaged Steefif1g olutch 54 haS a levef 54 Which iS Inoved anti clockWise to engage Said clutch The levef 54d iS con nected fo a fod 55 vvhich haS abutnlent collaf 55 and 57, Said fod being Slidable thfough a block 58 pivoted fo the feaf end of the 1ovef 50, and a block 59 connected to the feaf end of the levef 51 by a notion-fevefsing levef 50o pivoted at 595 anda` link 59C. 1t vvi1 thUS be Seen that vvhen the cable 52 iSpulled to felease the Inain clutCh 35, tho fod 55 iS SHd 1efhafdS to bfing ^about engagement It WiH be undeffnain Shaft 28, each of the Steefing Shaft sectionS 47, 48,

of the Steefing clutch 54. Sin1ilafly, When the main clutch 35 iS disengaged by puning npon the cable 53, the nlotion of the levef 51 iS tfanSfeffed thfough the fevefSing levef 59(z and alSo InoveS the fod 55 leftwafds to engage fhe SteeIing clutch 54. An altefnative fnethod of opefating the fflain and steefing clutches by 11Sing a contfo1 valve and hydfaUlic SySfefn iS descfibed in said 11. S. Patent No. 2,353,554 and an ifnpfovedffangement using oat ing levefS iS descfibed in copending IJ. s. patent appHcation sefial No. 295,923, filed IUne 27, 1952.

The coInbined steefing and dfiving unit opefates in the follovving ffannef. To pfovide the lowest spoed (and thuS the moSt powefful tofque) the clutch element 22 iS en gaged with the geafWheel 18, While the c1Utch element 31 iS engaged fvith the geaf Wheel 29, thiS being effected by Selectof fo1kS (not Shown) engaging t1e elefnentS 22 and 31. Thus the povvef ffofn the input Shaft 10 iS tfanS Inifted thfough whichevefof the clutcheS 13 of 14 iS engaged (fof fofvvafd of fevefSe tfavel) to fhe countef shaft by nleanS of the bevel goafing 11, 15 of 12, 15

T11e conntefShaft 15 dfives tho dfivohaft 21thfoUgh geaf vvheelS 17, 18 and the geaf wheels 29, tfa 1sfnit the dIive to tho nlain Shaft, thence thfough fnain clutoheS 35, to fnain pinions 37, 38 to 5nal geafs 30, feSpectively and to the output shafts 41, 42. Fo stfaight tfaye1, both n1ain olutohes 35, 35 afe engaged, So that tho oufpUt Shafts 41, 42 tufI at equa1 Speeds. Also dufing Stfaight tfavel, the steefing clI1tch 541S diSengaged, So that the casing 52 of tho diffefentia1 unit 51 iS able to fotate ffee1y K ith the tWo steefing shaft sections 47, 48, aS theSe afe fotated idly in unison by the Stoefing pinions, 45, 45. 1n fhe mean5me fhe element 54 of the steofing clutch is fotafed idly byfhe geaf vvhee1 55vvyhich iS in peffflanent n1esh With the geaf Whee1 20 and is thuS continuoosly dfiven by the n1ain Shaft (not difectly byth5 dfivo haft 21, aS the geaf Wheel 29 iS ffeely fotatable thefeon Wheo the highef ge5fs a e engaged). The clntch e1eInent54 fotateS S1()vvef vthan the di1fefential casing 52 becauSe the Inain pinionS 37, 38 afe lafgef than the stoefing pinions To fnfn the.vehicle, Say to the left, the Inai11 clutch 35 is oiSengaged and at the same tilne the teefing clutch 54 iS pfogfeSsively engaged as deScfibed in connection vVith 1 igflfe 3. Thus the dfivo ffon1 the fnain shaft i fefnoved of Slackoned in fespect of the output Shaft 41 and is SupefSeded by dfiving fofque developed in the dif fefentfal unit 51, It ff il1 be noted that the ight hand Steefing pinion iS Still being fifmly dfive 1 at fhe ofigi- 11al Speed thfough the f1111y engaged Inain clutch 35, aS a feSUlf of the fact fhat the diffefential casing 52 is boing dfiven by tho Sfeefing olutch 54 at a SIovfef Sp eed than the steefing shaft section 48, the 1eft hand steefing Shaft section 47 is dfiven coffeSpondingly Slovvef thantho ec tion 48.- It follows thefefof( that the output shaff 41 iS dfivon s!ovvef than the oUtput Shaft 42 and the vehicle tofflS to the left due fo the diife ing tfack SpeedS of the foad vheo1S of eqtiva15nt, 1)Ufing Steefing in th1S Inannef, SHp age occUrs i l the Steofing clutch 54 giving a pfogfosSifely 5ghtening tu n aS the Steefing clutch 54 becomeS mofe and fnofe engaged. It vvin bo appa ent that the vehicle is t lfned to the fight by diSengaging the n1ain c1Htch 35 and again engaging the Sfeofing C1Utch 54, the diffefential unif 51 then Inaking the fight hand steof ing Shaft Section 48 fun SloWeffhan the 1efthan 1 sec 5on 47. v

The Steefing and dfiving Hnit alSo )fovideS thfee fufthef geaf fatioS fof thc dfive fo theoIItput shaftS 41, 42 So aS to adapt the drive toa wide fange of fonning con dmoos od1oadS To pfodoce a Iightly less speed feduction (of Second geaf), o1Utch elefnent 21 iS fetained in engagement with geaf Whoel 20, bUt the clutch elen1ent 22 iS changed ovef to geaf Wheel 20. Fof thifd geaf, both clutch elementS 22, 31 afe movod to tho left, bfing- -ing geaf wheels 17,18, 25, 27 into opofafion; 5pally top geaf iS obtained by moving clutch e1eoiont 22 into a pai of Inafn,pinions i 1 n1esh vvit11 said out ut gea1s, a Inain shaft diSpoSedbetWeen the IIlain pi11ions, 21 a of n1ai11 c111tcheS connectin the ends of the InaiI1 shaft to the main inionS, a aiT of Steering inions alSo in n1esh with the respective outputgeaTs, a di1feTential gear unit includin 1irst, second and thiTd elenne ts, a ai1 of steeT ing Shaft sections connecting the 1iTSt and Second e1en1ents to the reS ective steerin inionS, aSteeTing o111tch oonnected to the thiTd element and atTan ed-10 be en a ed When eithe1 of the n1ain clutches iS disengaged fo tUTn" in the vehicle, a dTive shaft, earin connectin the dTive shaft difeotly to the SteeTing c111tch and geafing connoctiog the drive shaft directl to the main sha t.

o. A c1Utch-Opefated vehiole drivingand steefing 111echaniSn1, affanged to dTive ^a paiT of foad wheels diife e11- tiaHy1o cauSe tnfnin of the vehicle, Said syStem comrising a pai1 of out Ut geafS on feSpective output ShaftS a airof main inions in mesh with said oot ut gears, a

- main shaft dis osed betWeen-the main inionS, a ai .of

d1ive shaft aod the thifd element of the diffefential gea1 unit, said dTiving conneotion including a Steering clutch Which iS nofmally disengaged but iS aTfanged to be en gaged whenoithe1 of the ma c111tcheS is disengaged fof tI1rning the vehicle, -and ohange speed gearing fo1 vafying the Speed of the fhifd element of the diefential unit Wit}1 full engagement of the Steefing clutch.

7. A clutch-o etateds sten1 as clain1ed in clain1 6, having a11 auxniary changeSpeedn1echanism fof vaTying the speed of the SteeTing clutch felafive t() the n1ain shaft and thereby varyin the minimum radins of turnin of the vehicle.

Refefences Ced the file of this potent UNITED STATES PATENTS 387 208 Stofe Au 9 1921 470,078 HeHWOTth 0ct. 8 1923 L509293 Hart Se t. 23, 1924 23S3SS4 GateS 2 1ul 11, 1944 2389498 Gates Nov. 20 194S 2j60,SS4 Colb In1 17, 19S1 2S8579() Ke11e Feb. 12, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 602,318 Great Britain Ma 25, 1948 

